2011-08-05 - Fire in Mutant Town
After another session at the Outreach Center, Susannah is headed towards the subway stop she needs to get the right train back to Brooklyn, when she spots flames erupting from a window on the fourth floor of a small tenement brownstone a few blocks away. She knows it's in the direction of Mutant Town, but does that really matter? People could be in trouble, real danger. It doesn't much matter to her if they're mutants or normals: they're people. She ducks into an alleyway and uses the amulet to summon Man-at-Arms. He'll be a lot better at all of this than she would, after all. It may be Mutant Town and the East Village, but chances are the sight of a man in full knight's armor, gleaming in the streetlamps' reflections, charging down the street on a beautiful armored white stallion, is going to draw some attention. Even moreso when that stallion starts running up through the air, hooves thundering on nothing at all, heading up even as rider and steed close the distance to the building, trying to reach the level with the window spouting fire. Even in or near Mutant Town, that's quite a sight. Jean Grey was coming out of Mutant Town, wearing a face-concealing hoodie, when she spotted the suit of armor on horseback clattering up the street... and then into the air, and then the screams of 'Fire!' Glancing around her and then sighing as she alters a few perceptions telepathically so they don't see her, Jean ducks into a small alley, ditching the hoodie and jeans. Thankfully she'd taken to wearing her costume under her regular clothes, and it's not long before Phoenix arcs up into the skies, aiming for the fire, telekinetics looking much like the fire itself, which probably doesn't help with calming onlookers below. She quickly starts trying to pinpoint the minds inside the building, both conscious and unconscious, hovering as she seeks the best method for getting people out of there. One can almost imagine a hearty 'Hi-ho, Silver!' as the air-running white destrier pulls up, rearing, in front of the window where the fire first blossomed. "Hail inside! Fire!" the gleaming knight shouts, before leaping from horseback through the window with a crash. Knows how to make an entrance, that one. Phoenix's appearance and approach definitely inspires some additional fear and panic amongst the citizens, not the least of which are a few accusing fingers decrying that she may well have started the fire that is quickly growing, threatening to engulf and consume the building. Telepathy can pick up a couple dozen folks in the building, spread across multiple apartments on every floor of the four-story building. And one figure, hard to miss, who seems a bit 'closed' to at least casual mental contact, though the signature is pretty unmistakable. Phoenix ignores the cries that she started it, because she knows she didn't, and she's got bigger things to worry about right now. To the conscious minds she can reach, which isn't all of them by any stretch of the imagination, she broadcasts a simple suggestion to exit the building calmly. That one closed mind piques her interest, but her first priority is the evacuation. Her entrance into the building isn't as grand as Man-at-Arms', but she takes the time to actually pull a fire alarm switch in the hallway of the floor she'd entered upon, the one closest to the fire. Her telekinetic shield keeps her protected from the smoke to some extent, but she does have to breathe sometime. Even so, she keeps tabs on that one mind that wasn't normal compared to the others, in case something happens later on. "Everyone out!" she cries verbally. "Fire! C'mon, don't stop for stuff, get yourselves outta here!" That not-normal mind moves quickly, as Man-at-Arms seeks out those in need while calling out in a loud, forceful voice, "Fire! Fire! Everyone out! Fire!" He moves methodically through every apartment, through every room, sweeping for people in need. When he finds a girl and her kitten choking, huddled in a closet, he scoops the girl up, smiling despite the choking smoke. "Don't worry, sweetheart. Everything will be alright." With the girl tucked inside his shield on his left arm, he moves swiftly to the window and reahes out, putting the girl on the back of his horse. "Go. Take her to the ground across the street, and then come back." he commands. And then he dives back in. The four-story tenement brownstone on the edge of Mutant Town and the East Village is really starting to go up, now the flames increasing as people start pouring out of the building. Phoenix's suggestions manage to garner response, a good ten of the minutes she was able to sense in the building making their way out within a minute or so of her sending to them. Others are struggling, either not as mobile or finding themselves cut off at the moment. And still others are largely unresponsive. The fire itself would be enough to draw quite a bit of streetside attention, even before sirens can reach the area. But with folks having seen a knight in full armor charging into the fire on a white horse riding on air, and a seemingly flame-shrouded flying woman, this scene has quite the draw. Press are almost surely on their way. Captain America has taken to patrolling the Lower East Side and into the East Villiage. It is becoming his part of the city. He was not far away before the light and smoke of the fire caught his attention. Moving quickly over rooftops and along the fire escapes, he has made it to the building. He stops for one moment at the building next to the tenement building to assess the situation. It is only for a moment before he quickly dives forward from the rooftop towards the burning one. He brings his shield up to take the impact of the window as he crashes into the building. Once she'd warned the ones by the fire alarm and her mental suggestion to get the heck outta Dodge, Phoenix focuses on those minds that are unresponsive, meaning asleep or unconscious. She directs an older gentleman to the stairs when she comes across him by the elevator, pointing to the sign warning not to use the lift when there's a fire. Her telekinetic shield is keeping her safe, but it's still a bit close if she keeps it airtight, and she scoops up an unconscious old lady after busting into her apartment, also scooping up the old lady's little yappy Peke, making her escape in a crash out the window, TK aura flaring more red than the actual fire, but the onlookers won't care. And neither does she as she alights near one of the firetrucks that have arrived, releases the lady, and renews the supply of air by releasing and then restoring the TK shield, leaping back into the air and into the building, picking a spot where the ceiling above is starting to sag. Knowing others are working on getting people out, she changes her tactics and simply becomes a creature of will, telekinetics focusing on one task: supporting the collapsing structure. Not one, but two big guys in shields diving through windows. But this one is the red white and blue wonder of Captain America: everyone cheers when they see that guy on the scene. And why not? On the fourth floor, Man-at-Arms finishes another circuit through and leaps down the stairs to the third floor. The smoke is getting thicker, the flames even more dangerous. When he smashes through a door to reach someone he can hear choking inside - only barely, given the noise of the fire itself - he finds an older man, collapsed on his floor not far from his bedroom. Seeing the danger, the armored knight gathers the old man in his arms, and concentrates to summon and shape the protective field of his shield. Then he leaps through the window, taking the thirty-story drop with a thunderous crash on a closed dumpster, then jogs to the front of the building to present the man to the paramedics. "Pardon me, Sir. This citizen could use help. I must get back inside." Without another word, just a shrill whistle, he runs towards the white air-riding stallion, leaping to the horse's back and riding around the building, back to where he came from to continue the sweep. Elsewhere on the third floor, Captain America will come through that window into a kitchen. Thankfully, the gas lines haven't gone up yet. But the apartment is a mess of choking smoke. Huddled just outside the kitchen is a young boy, perhaps twelve years old, one arm wrapped around an older woman slumped down, blood marring her hairline. The boy is struggling, arm upraised, a sparkling energy field pulsing from his hand, trying to hold up a fallen beam already marked with a spot of blood and hair. Captain America keeps his shield up as he gets to his feet after coming through the window. He is also crouched as he works on keeping out of the smoke as much as he can. He immediately sees the kitchen stove and realizes that an explosion could be coming any time. He makes his way towards the young boy and the woman. "Let me," he says loudly over the roar of the fire. Where the boy's upturned arm is struggling to keep up the beam, Cap stands and lifts his shield. He braces himself and his shield to provide support. "Get her away from this, and I'll drop it so we can all get out of here. Trust me, son. I am here to help." << Hurry... up... >> the rescuers can hear telepathically, if they're not psi-bshielded against a broadcast. Phoenix's mental voice is laced with effort, as if even that was an expenditure she couldn't afford. Teeth gritted, the surviving X-Man adds, << There's someone near you, Sir Knight, and they're unconscious, about 50 feet away. >> Touching Captain America's mind, she deposits the thought, << Not sure how long I can hold it up... but the structure's weakening quickly. There's more people down on 2, most of the ones from 1 got out already, as far as I can tell. >> The boy stares up at Captain America with awe and not a little bit of fear. It's a scary situation. Still, everyone knows Captain America is a hero. He helps people. So the boy takes a deep breath - as deep as he can - and nods grimly. Then he releases the field he has been fitfully maintaining, grabbing the woman and dragging for all he is worth to get her clear of the fallen beam's path. He's too small to manage to carry her out of here, but he can drag her out with the help of his field, getting her clear with a grunt of effort. A voice speaks in his mind, and Man-at-Arms gapes. Who said that, he cannot help but wonder. He reaches up to his chest, touching there for a moment. No, it wasn't the many voices of the amulet. So ... perhaps it is someone with powers? He leaps through the window nearby, and resumes his search, looking for and finding the unconscious form of the woman in question. He gathers her up, hearing and feeling the building shudder in protest, and heads for the window and his steed, to take her to help as quickly as he can. It has become a race to get them all out before the building gives up. The building is not the newest or strongest, but it is not actually in terrible repair. It is big, compared to single people or a car, however, and fire is the antithesis of any building, so Phoenix has her work cut out for her. She's brave to try so much, and it could well make all of the difference, especially with her ability to sense those in need and guide the other would-be rescuers to them. (Understood. I am in small apartment's kitchen. I am concerned about another explosion from the gas lines. Can you make sure the gas is shut off from the building? I will be proceeding down to 2 in a moment.) O o . Captain America thinks back to the voice in his head. He has gotten to the point where he is used to finding what he thought of as magic back in his day so another voice does not rattle him. He does sound under stress even as he thinks back towards Phoenix. As the kid gets clear, he shoves hard with his shield against the beam to try and give him a few seconds. As soon as he shoves, he jumps and baseball slides towards the boy and the woman. His shield comes up to protect them in case anything starts falling. "I'll take her. We need to get both of you out of here." Phoenix focuses so much of her incredible will against the force of gravity itself. Still, it's only a matter of time before it all comes down. Keeping light contact with the two men aiding the evacuation, they can sense she's not quite paying attention to them as her mind goes questing for the gas mains. She picked a good spot, for they're not far away. One hand stretched up against the building's collapse, she opens her eyes and peers through the smoky gloom toward the switch. Which is locked away and barricaded, with multiple safety measures to ensure that the general public can't get at said switch. With the mental dexterity that would make her old teacher so very proud, Phoenix undoes each lock carefully, ignoring any alarms as the layers of security are peeled back and the switch is revealed. And yanked by a telekinetic tendril. << Gas is off, >> she reports upstairs. << But whatever's still in the lines is still a danger... someone in the next apartment from you, Captain. >> She doesn't know it's actually Captain America, it's more of a mental signature to know which guy she's talking to. << Sir Knight... I sense a couple in the next apartment. They're very weak, can barely touch their minds. >> And the building continues groaning and shrieking against pressure to remain in place. Several beads of sweat run down her masked face, but she doesn't let up, she can't. The beam falls, throwing up bits of burning beam and carpeting, along with a shower of sparks and debris, shielded well by Captain America. The boy sags with relief as Cap takes up the woman, and tries not to look quite as terrified, as they form up to go running through the building towards safety, somehow. Man-at-Arms considers that voice touching his mind, and tries to respond. << Thank you, M'Lady. Going now. >> He bursts through the door, heading inside as he seeks out those in need. Maybe it's luck, or maybe it's a sense of those who are hurt, but he chooses the right door to reach the couple, unconscious on their bed. The flames have ignited draperies and rugs, filling the room with a noxious smoke that has clearly done them in. Man-at-Arms chokes, coughing forcefully as he surges through the billowing dark smoke and gathers both up. Instantly, he is aware of just how badly they are hurt, and how much they need fresh air. Unable to just create it, he summons his shield again and charges through the glass and aluminum of the balcony sliding glass doors. Within moments, he is mounting his steed once more, carrying them down through fresh air to medical aid. << I will get to the second floor immediately, M'Lady. >> Captain America lifts the woman into a fireman's carry and nods to the boy. "Stay with me. Keep at my shield arm. We need to go into the next apartment." He gets out into the hallway and almost staggers from the intense heat out here. It felt like he was hit in the face by a solid wall of hot air. He crosses the hallway and kicks at the door. The fire had weakened it already that it just fell over. "Hello! I'm here to help. Can you hear me?" He keeps moving his shield as best he can to help protect the woman's head that is against him. He also keeps an eye on the young'in'. "Do you know who lives here?" Phoenix leaves an encouraging thought in Man-at-Arms' direction. Not enough to distract, but light praise for his quick reaction to the danger and a thanks. She also gives him an awareness of where she found unconscious minds on 2. Not so much as a mental schematic but more of a 'warm/cool' indicator of direction, with relative heat/cold indicating proximity. She's never seen the inside of the building before, so she doesn't know what walls are there or what other obstacles might be on the way. Closing her eyes, she switches focus over to the other shield-carrying hero. << Captain, whoever's in there is in immediate danger. Their mind is very very faint and fading quickly. Please hurry... >> Death doesn't frighten her, but she doesn't want anyone to die here, not if she can help it. The boy follows at Captain America's side, pulling up his shirt to cover his mouth and nose as he does. The heat seems to wilt the already tired boy, but he valiantly stays with Cap, the woman, and the move to the next apartment. "Miss Sally lives here, with little Megan." he offers. They push through, and the boy does his best to help in the search. They find that a bookcase has collapsed here, blocking the door into one of the bedrooms. With the boy's help, they can clear the bookcase and find, just on the other side, the fallen form of a young woman, perhaps mid-twenties, pressed against the door. She has been struggling to open the door and failed. Nearby, still lying in a crib, a child lies still. The fire-fighters are doing what they can with the blaze, but they have already determined that the building's integrity is failing, and that they aren't going to be able to save it. Much of their efforts have shifted to containment, preventing the fire from spreading to other buildings. Man-at-Arms launches himself back into the building as quickly as possible. With what he can make out from Phoenix's mental 'picture', he starts a swift search, seeking out the minds she sensed here, those that haven't made it out. Most have, but not all. He launches himself through a curtain of flame to reach an apartment that has been cut off, so that he can help free those inside. Time is running short. Captain America still has the woman over his shoulders, but gets the shield under the bookcase and with the boy's help they push it away. He takes in the room and nods. "I need you," he says to the boy, "to get Megan. Keep her under your shirt so she doesn't breath in the smoke. Then you stay at my hip. You move when I move. Understand?" Cap crouches down and checks the pulse of the young woman. He gets his free arm up under her arm and pulls her to her feet. "We've got to get out of her, miss. I need you to walk for me. Megan's life depends on it." Now supporting one over his shoulder and his arm under another one, Captain America makes his way back to the hallway and to the stairs. He keeps the boy close to his shield arm. Each step is taken promptly, but not rashly as he makes sure the floor holds before moving forward and letting the boy step where he stepped. They are making their way down the stairs quickly now. Phoenix can feel the weight almost literally as parts of the building begin to shiver and slide down, the impacts further jostling the weight she's still holding up by sheer force of will. The building is already in mid-collapse at either end, with Jean focusing on holding up the load-bearing members that keep the stairwells secure, the ones in the middle near the elevators, the ones closest to the two men with shields doing the hard work. Coughing as the smoke reaches even down here, and simply not able to shield herself and support things, Phoenix simply holds on with everything she's got until she knows the building is clear. Each inch that the fire and gravity steal from her, she resents with her entire soul. Bricks start cascading down to the street from the upper stories, glass shattering as the whole mass shudders. << I... can't... hold it... much longer... >> she informs her two temporary teammates, her mental voice a mere whisper, exhaustion in every 'sound'. As Captain America brings the unsteady lot down the stairs, making for the exit, it's a challenge to keep them all moving. Sally is weak, exhausted and sufferimg from smoke inhalalation. The boy is clinging to little Megan in his arms, having pulled his arms out of his sleeves inside the shirt to cradle the baby there. It's quite a menagerie, with Cap also carrying the unconscious woman he found the boy protecting, whether mother or mother figure he has not said. As Captain America reaches the second floor, a flash of reflected light manifests into the running figure of a large, muscular blonde man wearing a knight's full armor, a large kite shield on his arm. It's a shock to Man-at-Arms to see Captain America - THE Captain America - here right now. But even so, his heroic impulse leads the way. They need help, and quickly. "This way, Sir!" he shouts, raising his shield over his head. With a sizzle, the energy field forms again overhead, protecting all of those Cap is shepherding, as Man-at-Arms leads the way straight to the 'cool' zone Phoenix showed him. The knightly figure does not evenn hesitate as a sword of similar metal materializes in his hand with a blue-white flash. He slashes out the wall, making a hole where only a small window existed, and whistles shrilly. The white charger appears, pawing at the air beneath his hooves, and lowers himself to welcome others to his back perhaps less used to this mode of transport. "Let me help you, Captain. Get them aboard, and go. They will need your support." Hearing the voice in his mind grow weak, and that sound of hope start to diminish, Man-at-Arms makes sure Cap and his civilians are on their way to safety, and then he dives back into the flames. He may succumb to the smoke, but thus far he seems almost to just not allow that to happen. Acting on instincts he wouldn't be able to explain if anyone asked, the young knight charges for the stairs and leaps, using pure gravity instead of staircases to descent, falling to the ground floor rapidly, and then making for the basement as quickly as he can. Down those basement stairs he charges, looking for the source of the voice in his mind, sure she is here. Sure he can help her before she grows so weak her voice disappears forever. Yeah. He really does believe in all those melodramatic, romantic stories. Look at him. Captain America nods to the knight and gets everyone on the white charger. (Civilians are clear. Now get out of there. The one in the armor is coming for you while the civilians are taken to the EMS.) O o . he thinks back to the voice. He is coming away from the building as the sirens approach. It is both ambulences and the police now arriving on the scene after the fire fighters. The Captain eyes the police for a moment, but ignores them as he takes the small band of vagabonds over to the EMS. "I have severe smoke inhaliation and weak pulse in the two ladies. The boy has a baby girl under his shirt as we tried to escape the fire." He mentions nothing of what he saw the kid doing up there. (Ma'am, if you can hear me still, direct me to where you and the knight are, and I can come help.) O o . As more and more structural damage is apparent, Phoenix seems more willing to let things slide (literally), realizing just how close the thing is to collapsing. And two knights in shining armor willing to help her get out of there. << Stay back, Captain! >> she warns the one, while the other indeed does find her. Unarmored, masked, yet holding the entire remains of the building aloft with nothing more than the power of her mind. Man-at-Arms finds the redhead on her knees, arms splayed to the air, as if by that gesture, she can hold back the entire structure. As she senses his presence, one of her hands reaches in his direction, and while the building starts crumbling on the opposite side, she starts forging TK supports along his path out. "It's falling..." she coughs out, her eyes watering from the smoke and her own sweat, and ponderous crashing sounds can be heard above, the slither of rock on rock, and people's possessions being smashed and crushed. One steel girder slams through another part of the basement, impaling the foundations. Then another. A third lances right toward her. Like a princess in a fairytale, and a mighty sorceress, all rolled into one. Suffice it to say, Man-at-Arms thinks this is exactly the way things should be. "You were getting weak, M'Lady. I had to come." he shouts over the noise, as the building starts tearing itself apart, finally snapping those telekinetic bonds that have held it together far longer than it ever should or could have remained without her help. He shows no concern for his way out, and merely pushes through on his way in, bringing himself right to the side of the kneeling woman as he takes a knee beside her. In spite of the danger, he smiles as he raises his shield overhead. He has complete, unwavering faith in that shield. Others might consider that arrogance, supreme foolishness. But to him, it is merely faith: things being as they should and must be. "Let go, Miss. Save your strength. It's time to let go." As the telekinetic field starts to disintegrate, a pulsing shimmer of blue-white light spreads from the surface of Man-at-Arms' upraised shield, forming a low dome that covers the knight, and Phoenix, and a bit of space besides. When the building collapses down, its burning mass encounters a field much smaller, but also much simpler and unyielding. It won't push back. But that dome means those beneath it are safe. For now. "Greetings." the young knight offers. "I am called Man-at-Arms. It is a pleasure to meet you. Did you know /Captain America/ came to help tonight? He is a truly great hero. A /legend/." Yeah. Hero-worship. It's alive and well. "Are you alright, Miss?" "Oh," Phoenix replies, her regular voice sounding as weak and thready as her mental one. "Is that who that was?" She nods to the question regarding her welfare. "Let's get out of here. I'm Phoenix, by the way." She allows herself be led out of the wreck of the burning and collapsed building, grateful that she doesn't have to keep holding it up while people search for her, stumbling along toward the way out. Her walk is also very wobbly and unsteady, the redhead making full use of any handrails that might still exist as she hauls herself out of the rubble, coughing several times. Outside of the burning building, Captain America runs towards the fire fighters. "The basement. There are two still trapped in there, but I think they will be able to get out. Get some of that water in that direction and make a path for them!" His words are not polite suggestions, but a tone that was born on the battlefields of Europe. (If you can hear me, I am trying to get the the fire fighters to give you and the other one a clear, and cooler path out. I am still ready to come to your assisstance.) O o . he thinks again hoping the voice is still there to hear him. The police sirens are beginning to drown out the roar of the fire as numerous police officers are pulling up. Several get out to secure the scene, get the bystanders back, and coordinate with the EMTs and Fire Services. One large van with ESU stamped across the side pulls up and many men in riot gear come piling out. "Please, Lady Phoenix. Allow me to assist you." Man-at-Arms offers, using his other arm to slide around the redheaded, dust-covered beauty to lend support, strength and stability as they make their way through the rubble, making for an exit. His other arm continues to hold the shield - and its protective field - up over their heads, though it does mean he's not moving any faster than Phoenix is. He can't move very fast while holding that, and he's not about to let it go until they finally burst forth into the spray of the onrushing water from the fire fighters. As the main girder falls, it impacts upon Man-at-Arms' shield with a loud clang! Not as sexy as a bell pealing the hour, but loud enough to be the death knell of this poor building. Phoenix isn't quite entirely trusting an unknown when her life is on the line, and that of another party, no matter how well armored and seemingly capable. << We're coming out, Captain, >> she says wearily to the star-spangled hero waiting in the wings. << Thanks for the assist. >> Looking at her savior and fellow rescuer, she nods. "Let's get out of here," she says audibly, moving toward the exit, not really caring if she gets soaked by the water helping to clear the fire away from their way out. As she manuevers herself away from the protected spot in the basement, it starts properly collapsing into that open space behind them, a surprisingly controlled implosion, as if the redhead, even now, is using her abilities to ensure that the building doesn't suddenly decide to fall over to the side or possibly endanger the fire and EMS crews outside. It takes a few moments for her to emerge into daylight once more, keeping pace with Man-at-Arms and coughing more and more from the smoke as she releases her telekinetic field entirely. As the pair begin to emerge from the building, Cap is still out there taking command of the fire team. "Redirect! Don't blast them with the water. Get it higher! You! You!" He points to two more firemen. "Get those two oxygen now!" The two firemen come running towards Man at Arms and Phoenix with oxygen tanks. The air is a mixture of smoke, soot, and city water now. The heat is still high with the building beginning to collapse, but a great deal of it has burned already. The armored police officers come up behind Captain America. Three of them break off and head towards Phoenix and Man At Arms. "Sir," says one to Captain America, "I'm going to have to ask you to come with us." The officer's tone is highly formal and not particularly friendly. Offered oxygen, Man-at-Arms waits until Phoenix is taken care of, before he accepts some himself. He could definitely use it. As resistant as he may be physically, he breathes air like anyone else, and while he can hold it quite a bit, that's still no substitute for fresh, clean air in the lungs. Free of the building, and breathing, he sees the armored police oficers heading in their direction and tenses. The last thing he wants to do is have to fight good men, doing their jobs. But he will not surrender himself, nor this brave woman, without a fight. "Are you alright, Miss Phoenix?" he asks. "Your help was amazing. I never could have found all those people without you. Thank you." Phoenix was able to shield herself to some extent due to her telekinetic shield, but some smoke is still more than anyone should have in their lungs like this. She focuses on taking gulps of the pure oxygen first, then notices her knight in shining armor tensing up. "I'm okay..." she says, her voice muffled by the clear mask. "Trouble... Perhaps I should scoot real quick." But the strain of holding up the building means she's not likely to be doing anything 'real quick' anytime soon. "Captain...?" she asks the sentinel of liberty. "We can take a hike, if you want..." "Later," Captain America says to the police officer with a dismissive gesture. "Now is not the time for political posturing, officer. People are still in trouble." He heads towards Phoenix and Man at Arms quickly. He glances at the armored officers near them, but they seem quiet at the moment letting the lieutenant that spoke to Cap be the one in charge for the moment. "Are you two alright?" At Phoenix's question, he shakes his head. "Got to make sure everyone is taken care of first." The NYPD LT does not seem particularly happy with this course of action and follows the Captain. He gestures for the rest of the armored cops to begin to move towards the trio. Clearly needing that oxygen himself, the young knight coughs as well, breathing deeply to suck that pure oxygen into lung tissues starved for the stuff. "We're ... we're alright, Captain. It ... It's an honor to meet you, Sir." One can be sure he'd salute, if he wasn't busy with one hand holding the mask to his face and the other helping to keep Phoenix steady. But there's a grim determination on his young features as he looks past Cap to the cops. "I won't let them take you, Miss Phoenix. I swear it." No apparent concern for himself, there. Phoenix nods to the Captain's words, green eyes slipping around to the approaching officers, smiling a brief 'thanks' to Man-at-Arms. "Everyone got out, as far as I can tell," she reports to Captain America. "I'll be all right," she adds reassuringly to the knight. "This Jedi has a couple more mind tricks up her sleeve if necessary," she murmurs quietly, just loud enough for the other two rescuers to hear. Lt. Cobb looks at the trio. He frowns at Man At Arms's words to Phoenix. "We are not interested in her, young man. She hasn't even made the police blotter, but," he turns to look at Phoenix, "keep your nose clean and out of trouble, miss, or next time we will want a word. You want to help, go downtown and apply to Civil Service or the Sentinels." He looks at Man at Arms. "That goes for you too, junior. You are building a reputation for yourself, but this one," he says finally turning to look at the Captain, "this one is impersonating an American Legend purely to stir up trouble among the other vigilantes and with this being so close to Mutant Town..." He lets his words drift off with a quick glance in the direction of the slum that mutants call home. "By the power of the Civil Protection Safety Act, I am asking you to come along with us peacefully or my men have orders to take you down here." Captain America nods to Man At Arms. "I'm always glad to help, son. You did some fine work yourself. Both of you," he says with a look to Phoenix. "Afraid I haven't seen you before, but.." His words are cut off by the Lt.'s little speech. He frowns behind the mask and looks at the officer. "Surely you cannot seriously be thinking of taking me in, officer. We just got people out of a burning building!" Man-at-Arms takes a half-step forward at the Lieutenant's rather rude words. "With all due respect, Lieutenant, we all three just did all we could to save the people trapped in this building. I won't let you hurt this man, anymore than I could let those poor people burn in their homes. If you cannot see that he /is/ the real Captain America, I am very sorry for you." The shield comes up, the oxygen mask forgotten. He clearly won't take the first swing, but he just as clearly is not backing down. He has never met either of these two beore tonight, and he is ready to fight for them. Earnest, if arguably niave. "You have utterly /no/ concept how foolish your words are, sir," Phoenix states, her voice calm, collected, a slight smile on her features as she sets the oxygen mask aside, stepping up next to Captain America. "Your men don't need to be taking anyone down right now," she adds. "In fact, I think they might be better off helping /those/ people. You know, the people who are now homeless and were injured after the three of us saved their lives. The ones who haven't yet been helped by the EMTs because there's more residents than rescuers. Seriously. Prioritize better next time. Either of you two know first aid?" she then asks Cap and Man-at-Arms as she beckons them to follow her to where the EMTs and other first responders are sorting out the order of triage and such. "I know a bit from being out in the field," Cap says with a nod. He begins to try and walk around Lt. Cobb and his men. "Excuse me, fellas. There is work to be done." That being said, the regular police and the EMTs are trying to help everyone there, but there are a lot of folks that were in that building. The ones that Man at Arms and Captain America pulled out towards the end are down on the priority list. "Settle down, champ," Cobb says to Man at Arms. "No one is hurting anyone. The *real* Captain America died back in World War II. My dad spoke of him. This man is an imposter and rousing the civic discourse." Cobb doesn't move as the Captain tries to get around him. Cap ends up bumping into Cobb's shoulder. "And that is assault." Cobb goes to grab at the Captain's wrist. "I do not always know what to do to help people, Miss Phoenix, but I can usually tell what is wrong with someone by touching them. Perhaps that may help the EMTs to know who needs help ahead of others?" the young knight offers, ready to follow the redhead past the cops. That is, until the one officer makes it clear he's not going to let this go. Man-at-Arms steps in quickly, leading with his shield to intercept Cobb, if he can. The boy is fast, strong, and reads the 'combat situation' of move and countermove very well, quite intuitively. But he's not perfect. "Sir, I can swear to you this man is not an imposter, and he is not rousing anything. He is here helping to save /lives/. And that is precisely what you should be doing, Sir. Not looking for an excuse to attack this man. Please, don't make me fight you. That is the last thing any of us." "That is bullshit, that's what that is," Phoenix replies loudly as Man-at-Arms moves forward to step into the situation. "Let him go, so we can all help people who are injured and DYING!" In fact, she has no qualms at this point of reaching out, touching the mind of one of those still screaming in pain, and sharing that pain with Lt. Cobb and all his men. Telekinesis is the least dangerous of her powers, and when she's angry enough to play dirty pool, a simple mind-trick isn't enough to satiate that anger. "Let. Him. GO." Cobb's hand is blocked by Man at Arms, but that did get a nasty look from Cobb towards Man at Arms. "You really do not want to go there, kid. You can do a lot," he says with a nod towards the remains of the building, "but we outnumber you and, like it or not, the CPSA is the law of the land. You are all in violation of it. You want to go to jail t...." His words are caught off as the pain is shared with him and his men. Hands fly to heads as men drop to their knees screaming out. "STOP!" says Captain America not looking at the police, but at Man at Arms and Phoenix. "I appreciate the help from both of you, but I can fight my own fights. Lets help with what we can and then get out of here. We do not want to fight police officers. They are just doing their job." Man-at-Arms may not fully understand all that just happened, but he didn't back down, didn't flinch despite the threats. But when Captain America tells him to step down, he does, lowering his shield with a nod to the other man. "Yes, Sir. I understand. If either of you need a ride out of here, let me know." The last thing he wanted to do was fight the police. But he wasn't going to let them attack Cap and do nothing. No way. Even so, as they head back to the citizens in need, he offers a shy smile to Jean. "Don't know what you did ... but thanks. I really didn't want to have to punch him." He moves into the crowd, touching one after another, assessing their health and then leading those most in need to the EMTs. Still, soon enough he'll be summoning his white steed and riding off into the night. He'd take the others with him if they asked, but he's guessing neither will ask. They both seem pretty self-sufficient. Pretty awesome, in his mind. Phoenix releases the broadcast mere moments after it took effect. Just a taste of the power idling within her mind. "There's a difference between slavishly enforcing the law and letting people suffer," she says to the lieutenant. "Let us help the people in need first, then we'll deal with the law, okay?" She can be much more reasonable when the law enforcers aren't being jerks for no good reason. "As for him being Captain America... who gives a crap, really? If he's helping people, saving lives, isn't that what the old guy back when dinosaurs ruled the Earth did?" She glances briefly at Man-at-Arms and offers him a faint smile. "That would have been foolish," she confides to him about his lack of desire in punching someone. The cops slowly get to their feet. They are obviously still shakey after having the pain broadcast directly to them like that. Cobb looks at the three of them as he slowly gets to his feet. "There is more too it, ma'am. That costume means more than what you are wearing or what he," gesturing towards Man At Arms, "is wearing. The Captain America outfit gets just as many people worked up as any of your actions. I will leave it for now, but thie," he says looking towards Cap, "is not over." Cap nods to Cobb. "Fine, officer. For the time being, tend to the wounded. The one lady," he points towards those he pulled out, "was unconscious when I found her as was the other adult as well. I believe both were smoke inhalation, but you will need to see to them." He does what little he can as far as medicine. His experience is more with bullet holes than with smoke and burns. As the people are tended to, police do seem to be moving closer to Cap, but does not let himself get boxed in. As he has done what he cans, he bids farewell to Man At Arms and Phoenix, and he heads off towards the alleyway and up a fire escape to the roofs. Of course, Man-at-Arms was well aware of how foolish it would have been to punch the officer, which is why he didn't want to do it. But he would have, to protect Captain America, or Phoenix. Since that was not necessary, he does what he can to help, and then he summons his steed and rides away into the night. He'll just have to hope to meet the amazing Captain America again some time, when they aren't under police presence. But how amazing is it, really, to have met him at all?! Phoenix doesn't actually stand in anyone's way visibly, but she helps block for Cap, making sure that he's got a way out no matter what as she also helps tend to the injured. "Conscious, unconscious... several injuries I can't suss out here..." she reports as she touches various minds. And then one... "This one needs immediate attention!" she calls out, grabbing the nearest EMT. "I've got no pulse, no breathing!" And as the medical types scramble in her direction, she slips back, because she's not as qualified as they are. And when the flurry over the victim is at its highest, she simply slips into the crowd. Anyone who looks at her doesn't remember they did, or they suddenly looked away, or something. << Thanks for the help, gentlemen, >> she says privately to Captain America and Man-at-Arms. She's too weak to fly away, but a nice sedate walk is suitable while everyone's focused on the main scene of the fire and the survivors. Category:Logs